This application claims the priority of German Patent Application No. 10308771.0, filed Feb. 28, 2003, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a friction clutch for a drive assembly of a motor vehicle which operates between an internal-combustion engine and a transmission.
A known friction clutch of the initially mentioned construction—U.S. Patent Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,141—is equipped with a clutch release device arranged inside a housing surrounding the friction clutch. The clutch release device has a release bearing and a hydraulic operating device which comprises an outer cylinder housing fastened to the housing and an inner operating piston, the operating piston being axially movably arranged in the cylinder housing and cooperating with a release bearing or a diaphragm spring of the clutch. A comparable construction is known from German Patent Document DE 694 22 276 T2. However, in this case, an inner cylinder housing of the hydraulic operating device is fixedly connected with a wall of the housing and a displaceable operating piston surrounds these cylinder housings.
It is an object of the invention to equip a friction clutch provided between an internal-combustion engine and a transmission with a clutch release device which accommodates a hydraulic operating mechanism appropriately with respect to its function and can be installed in a simple manner in the area between the internal-combustion engine and the transmission.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing a friction clutch for a drive assembly of a motor vehicle which operates between an internal-combustion engine and a transmission and comprises a clutch release device, the clutch release device being arranged inside a transmission/clutch housing having a clutch release bearing and a hydraulic operating device with a cylinder housing and an operating piston operating in the latter, wherein the cylinder housing of the hydraulic operating device is mounted on a bearing structure arranged in use adjacent to the internal-combustion engine and the friction clutch, which bearing structure is constructed independently of the transmission/clutch housing.
Important advantages achieved by means of certain preferred embodiments of the invention are that the bearing structure has a stiff construction and securely accommodates the clutch release bearing and the cylinder housing. In this case, since the bearing structure is constructed independently of the transmission housing, it contributes to a considerable extent to the free design of the friction clutch. A holding of the bearing structure which is appropriate for its function is achieved by fastening it to the front end of the internal-combustion engine. As a result of the bearing plate and the fastening struts, the bearing structure can be optimized in a simple manner with respect to the weight, stability and space requirements. According to certain embodiments these advantages are also promoted by the fact that the bearing plate has approximately the shape of an equilateral triangle on whose vertices the fastening struts are mounted. Finally, according to certain preferred embodiments the fact that the fastening struts and the cylinder housing are made of one piece with the bearing plate contributes to the constructional simplification.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.